Cargo plane slides off runway in Hong Kong killing two people

Emirates flight EK9788 was landing at Hong Kong International Airport after arriving from Dubai at about 3.50am local time, which is 7.50pm BST.

The plane veered off the runway and crashed with an airport patrol vehicle, before it skidded into the sea.

Four crew members on the plane were rescued and taken to hospital, but the two people inside the vehicle died.

Divers managed to locate the bodies of the ground staff killed, who are said to be aged 30 and 41 and had seven and 12 years' experience respectively.

Read more: Trump tells Zelensky to 'give up Donesk' and accept Putin's terms after White House meeting descends into 'screaming match'

Read more: Eight 'priceless' treasures stolen in Louvre raid identified as French police reveal details of 'heist of the decade'

An investigation has been launched into what caused the collision, and questions are being asked about the path taken by the plane on approach to the landing.

Airport officials claim they gave the correct instructions to the plane and said that there are signs on the runway to guide aircraft.

Steven Yiu, airport operations executive director, said the patrol car was travelling on a road outside of the runway's fencing "at a safe distance from the runway" at the time of the incident.

He explained that the plane turned away from the runway, crashed through the fencing and collided with the vehicle, pushing it into the sea.

He stressed that the car "definitely did not run out onto the runway".